Changes – Nikon, and my site

A New Coat of Paint – and a Fresh Perspective

Over the past few months, Open Source Photography and La Gallerie have quietly (or not) gone through a bit of a makeover. New theme, new colours, a freshly designed logo, and some much-needed style adjustments. Nothing too wild – no flashing banners or background music, but just enough to feel a little more like… well, me.

But beyond the cosmetic changes, I’ve also been rethinking what I want Open Source Photography to be. Not just another typical gear blog or software tutorial site—there are plenty of those already. I’d rather offer something different. Maybe alternative is the better word here: a slightly offbeat take on photography, always with an open mind.

I want to share more honest reviews—meaning: no sponsorships, no marketing fluff—cover lesser-known software tools, and every now and then dive into the more technical side of photography. Not only photography per se, but the things that surround it. Your computer’s operating system, for example—it’s not glamorous, but you need it to develop your photos. And who knows, maybe there’s more to the photographic life than megapixels and lens sharpness, maybe you’ve already spotted some of those changes sneaking into articles over the past few months.

Since launching OSP back in 2020 – yes, it’s been five years already !, quite a bit has changed. I started out shooting Fujifilm, moved on to Olympus, and today I mostly shoot with OM System gear—though I’ve also adopted a few Leica cameras along the way. In the beginning, Fuji film simulation recipes were one of the cornerstones of OSP. I even launched “The Largest Collection of Recipes brought together,” right alongside my own LUT development project under the name PictureFX.

But that era is slowly coming to a close. Yes, I still get 10 to 15 visitors per day on the Fujifilm recipe list (hello, whoever you are!), but the truth is: those pages will gradually be retired very soon and eventually taken offline.

There are plenty of others doing the Fujifilm recipe thing these days—and honestly, it’s become a messy pool of copy-paste content and monetised clickbait. A shame, really. It doesn’t really do justice to Fujifilm’s legacy, nor to the spirit behind those original film simulations—and certainly not to the creators who put time and care into building thoughtful, memorable recipes, like Mark G Adams. That said, the hype seems to have run its course, and let’s face it—there are now plenty of good alternatives out there.

These days, if you want control over your in-camera colours and want to develop your own visual style, most camera brands offer color grading features. And, you may not have noticed but LUTs have made a proper breakthrough—not just in video, but in photography too.

So, what’s next?

The Film Sim menus will likely be reworked—or disappear altogether. In their place, expect a stronger focus on LUT-based workflows, plus a look at what other brands are offering in terms of creative colour tools. So yes, it’s goodbye to Fujifilm on this site.

Also, the Cameras section will be updated. Olympus may be gone as a brand, but its legacy lives on under OM System, which—alongside Panasonic—is shaping the future of the Micro Four Thirds system. Those “old” Olympus cameras are still going strong, and I’ll continue to support them here. But the menu structure needs to reflect the reality of today’s gear landscape.

A Quick Note on Downloads and what about Nikon ?

On the topic of change—Open Source Photography has also expanded its LUT download options. Until recently, PictureFX LUTs were only available on FreshLuts.com, and only in standard .cube format. That’s no longer the case.

You can now grab a growing collection of PictureFX LUTs directly from picturefx.itch.io. Safe, fast, and neatly packaged: most downloads now come as zipped bundles with multiple versions of the same LUT—think normal and stronger variants—and often in both .cube and .png format, to keep all you RawTherapee folks happy too.

Right now, the Itch.io page features only the most downloaded LUTs—but more are being added regularly. So if you’re into film looks, special effects, or just want a bit of colour wizardry, keep an eye on it.

And finally—about that Nikon teaser in the title… Well, I can’t say too much just yet. But if you’re a Nikon shooter (or just curious), you might want to swing by OSP again this Friday. Let’s just say: it might be worth your click.

All the best,

Marc.